Vega Tees Up With LPGA, Describes Winning Big Break VI Show

Duramed FUTURES Tour member Briana Vega won The Golf Channel's "Big Break VI: Trump National" show in mid-December last year, topping fellow Tour member Bridget Dwyer 3 and 1 in the match-play women's finals. Vega then had a chance to score the show's overall win in the co-ed event. She edged Indianan Denny Hepler after nine holes, collecting $21,000 to Hepler's $9,000 in the high-stakes final match.

Vega, 24, a native of Andover, Mass., will return for her third season on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, which kicks off in March. But first, Vega will play in one of the two LPGA Tour exemptions she earned in the Big Break show. The first tournament is this week at the LPGA's SBS Open at Turtle Bay, with the second event set for the Longs Drugs Challenge in October. The former North Carolina State University collegiate player also will appear in The Golf Channel's "Big Break VII: Reunion" show, which premieres on February 25th.

Here's what Vega shared with Lisa Mickey of duramedfuturestour.com as she heads into the 2007 tournament season:

Q: Did you have any idea that you could win something like the Big Break, not only against women, but also against really solid male players?
BV: No. It was a bad time in the season for me on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. I had no confidence. I was missing cuts and wondering if I was getting any better. So I went out there to California with a "we'll-see-what-happens" attitude. I was just trying to make it past the first episode. Getting through the first couple of shows was big because I was pretty scared. I was on pins and needles the whole time. But this show really is "one shot at a time" and you never feel comfortable. Finally, I was able to joke with the producer and say, "OK, I've been on TV for about a month now." When it got down to the final three, and then to the final two, I really thought, "Maybe I can win this. I've got the shots. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and handle whatever they throw at me." It's like the end was in sight.

Q: Describe what your life has been like since winning the show back in December.
BV: Well, it really has been a "big break." I realized how much of a big break it was at this year's PGA Merchandise Show in January, where I was doing player appearances. This whole thing has opened a lot of doors for me. I never grasped how big this was or how recognizable I'd be to other people at places like the mall. I expected to be recognized in golf places, but at bars, restaurants and at the mall, that was a surprise. People just sort of look at you and walk back and forth and stare at you until they finally come up and talk. All I can say is, it's been a complete 180-degree turn from a year ago.

Q: What did you learn from the experience of winning the Big Break?
BV: I learned that I've got the game to play and the potential to pull off big shots when I need to. Just knowing that it's something within me has been huge. Now I know I can do this and I should have the confidence to play tournaments like this.

Q: What do you think you'll be able to use from the Big Break experience this year on the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour?
BV: Everything. I've been using it since last June when we came back from filming. It's great to watch myself on TV and to see myself hitting certain shots when I had to. I borrow from that. I've also learned not to flip out about everything. I was trying to be calmer on the show, but I needed to see myself and learn how to handle my emotions better. I am fiery, but I can't let shots negatively affect me. And now, I realize more and more how when things irritate me, I rush. I can see that if I start to have a couple of bad shots, I start rushing, which sets me up for a lot of problems during competition.

Q: Obviously, it's nice to get 19 tournaments entry fees waived on the 2007 Duramed FUTURES Tour as part of your winning prize package. How does it feel to have your entry fees taken care of and now, all you have to do is just play?
BV: It's so different from last year, when I was trying to scrape up enough to pay for the first two tournament series. Now, I'm depositing checks instead of writing checks, which is really nice. My parents come out on Tour every week and they're so supportive, and now, the entry fees are something we don't have to worry about. I was working 70 hours a week in the off-season last year to pay off expenses and to pay for my entry fees. I stayed home in Boston. When the season started, I felt like I was a couple of months behind everybody else because I stayed home to work. I was really rusty when the season began. This year, I was able to live in Florida and practice. I can already see a turnaround in my game and in my confidence and I think I'll be more prepared to start the season.

Q: What else did you win on the show?
BV: Well, there are the two LPGA Tour exemptions into the SBS Open at Turtle Bay and the Longs Drugs Challenge. And then I won a 2007 Chrysler Aspen SUV that has lots of room for the entire Vega family. I also earned $21,000 in the final episode with the win over Denny [Hepler], a $1,500 Arch Card from McDonald's, a $1,000 Dick's Sporting Goods gift certificate, which bought new sneakers for all the Vegas, and five hours of flight time on NetJets executive jet service.

Q: Have you received any endorsement opportunities with this win?
BV: Yes, I now have deals with Peak Vision sunglasses, Lija apparel, Birdie Girl lightweight bags, FootJoy shoes, a shaft company, a training device and a new golf tee maker. It's awesome and it's great to know people believe in me and want to help me out. I want to help them out too by wearing or using their products. In the past, my dad was my only sponsor -- you know, "Bank of Dad." Now, my parents are really proud that these product companies have offered to work with me.

Q: What has been the most surprising aspect of this experience?
BV: Everything has been so overwhelming. I can't believe how much people are getting onboard and I have an agent now to help me. I think the Big Break is kind of like American Idol, where there are so many people with talent, but only a few get through and only one wins. Everybody on the Big Break show was so good.

Q: As the winner of Big Break VI, did you feel any pressure going into Big Break VII: Reunion, which gets started this month?
BV: In a way, I did, but I've gone through a Big Break show and I've won. To go back to another one was huge. There were a bunch of people who had already gone through the show and knew what to expect. Big Break VII felt a little more casual and relaxed, but still, everybody there was trying to take me out of the competition. There's still pressure. And like Big Break VI, this one also has both men and women players.

Q: Obviously, the tournament's namesake and course owner, Donald Trump, had a presence on the Big Break VI show. What was it like to have him around?
BV: It was so cool. He's really a great guy. He came every day and was interested in the show and in all of the players. He absolutely loves golf.

Q: Is it true that you have "The Donald" on your speed dial and that you still keep in touch with him?
BV: Yeah, I have his cell number and I hear from him every now and then. He calls and asks how my putting is doing. It's so weird that he's my buddy. A couple of weeks after the show, my cell phone rang and somebody said, "Bri, baby, this is the boss!" It took me a couple of seconds to realize who it was. He wanted me to come play golf with him at his course in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Trump National Golf Club. I went and teed it up with him. We had caddies and had a great time.

Q: So did you beat "The Boss?"
BV: Of course I beat him. I don't think he likes it, but we had fun.

Q: Describe what it was like going to Trump Tower in New York City to pick up the keys to your new SUV?
BV: [Duramed FUTURES Tour player and fellow Big Break VI contestant] Ashley Gomes went with me to New York. We went iceskating at Rockefeller Center and went up to Trump Tower. He gave me a check for $21,000 and keys to my new car. It was wild because we were walking outside on the sidewalk in New York with Donald Trump and all of sudden, paparazzi mobbed him. People were talking to him about The Apprentice and The Big Break shows.

Q: What do you learn from a guy like Donald Trump?
BV: He's a great businessman and a great person. People think he's got a big head and he's hard to talk to, but he's just a hard-working guy who got kind of lucky. When you're around him, he acts like it's no big deal. He never treated us like he was some big celebrity. And I loved driving down there by myself to play 18 holes with him at his course.

Q: Did he ever ask you about the golf tour you play or your goals in the game?
BV: He knew all about the Duramed FUTURES Tour and the LPGA Tour and he kept asking what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. He totally understands about our tour and what we're all out here trying to do.

Q: How would you describe your last two seasons on the Duramed FUTURES Tour?
BV: The first season in 2005 was more about learning the ropes and how to play a lot of tournaments and travel. Last year, the 2006 season was a bit different. It was more of a struggle because I was always close between missing or making the cut. It's a very fine line, but I missed a lot of cuts and I was so frustrated. I was really close to being where I wanted to be, but my scores didn't reflect that. It was awful, sometimes heartbreaking. I was on the verge of throwing in the towel, but I went to the Big Break and caught this real "big break" and it changed a lot of things for me.

Q: Why do you think you've had such a slow start in your professional career?
BV: It's been like a continuation from college golf. I didn't really take golf seriously until I was a senior in high school, so a lot of this has been about believing in myself and having confidence. I've got the game, I've got the distance, but it's been more about believing in myself.

Q: What do you need to do to get on track and win your first professional tournament?
BV: I need to be more mentally disciplined. At least now, I can look back at what I've accomplished in the Big Break and know I can make the shots under pressure. It takes being there a few times to pull it off. A lot of people believe in me, so now, I just need to believe in me. That will be a major difference for me this year.

Q: Why do you think a player who has had marginal success on the Duramed FUTURES Tour can beat out players who have already won on Tour?
BV: I played with people who have won before. I saw what they do and they didn't do anything different than what I do. There's just a bigger story behind it -- how they got there, what the week was like when they won and things like that. I know my scores haven't reflected what kind of player I am. I can go low and shoot a 67 and lead a tournament, but not have any idea of what I'll do the next day. That's something I have to change.

Q: So, how has this experience of winning a Big Break changed you?
BV: I'm a stronger player, a stronger person. Now I know this is what I want to do. I know I can do it and I'm really proud of what I did in the Big Break. When I was a kid, there weren't other girls out there as role models in golf. I hope I can show other girls that golf is cool and you can have fun playing it. It wasn't exactly a cool sport when I got started.

Q: Do you have any special goals this season?
BV: I have the two LPGA Tour exemptions, so I want to play well in those two tournaments. And on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, I want to finish in the top five to earn my 2008 exempt LPGA Tour status. If I can't do that, I want to make it to the final stage of LPGA Q-School to earn my card. If people come out to watch me play this season, I hope they'll be impressed. I'm just ready to go out there and play great.

Q: What will it take to top winning Big Break VI?
BV: I think right now, just to make it to the LPGA Tour. And to win my first tournament. Winning the Big Break was just a TV show. I have bigger goals than that.